Chapter 17
Lara tipped her head back and glared at Ray. Her cheeks flushed a perfect pink, and I wanted to peel the red set off her flawless body. Suck strawberries into her unmarked thighs like some kind of primal beast. Anything to make her see she belonged to us.
Us?
My jealousy didn't flare when I saw Lara touch Ray, or Beck, for that matter. Although I still wasn't sure what the Beck's intentions were. I'd seen a different side of him tonight. A darkness he kept well hidden. He looked good in a fitted outfit and with his hair brushed.
"We can't do whatever this is anymore. Your exact words, Ray." She flicked a furious look in his direction. "You've got no goddamn right to tell me what to do, not Beck. Not either of you."
So she considered Beck one of her guys.
I waited for the rush of fury, the one that choked my veins when I saw her cozying up to Cole.
My nostrils flared hot, and I had to stop myself from smashing my fist into his face.
I was never this out of control. Meditation every morning kept me grounded.
But something fractured when I realized she wasn't mine.
Waiting too long to confess my true feelings was a mistake.
I never thought I would care enough about a girl to share her with another man.
It wasn't a new concept to me. I'd seen how it worked with Adelaide and her three guys.
I'd give Ray and Beck a pass, if that was her choice.
But no one else. I was going to claim Lara, make her understand she belonged with us.
She was under my skin, and from the way Ray bounced his knee up and down, I knew he felt the same.
I'd let her run from me once. It would not happen again.
"You said we didn't know you. That hurt my feelings, volpe mia." He stuck out his lower lip, ignoring her comment.
She crossed her arms over her chest, covering the hard nipples that poked through her crop top. The office temperature was on the colder side, but I made no move to change it. She'd be warm from my body against hers, and nothing else.
"You're dating my best friend, remember? Being seen near me will make your papa mad. Don't even get me started on you, Jonah. One make-out session, no matter how incredible, doesn't give you permission to treat me like a possession. You have no idea what you just ruined by carting me out of there."
Incredible? A smug smile crept across my face.
Ray leaped from the couch and prowled behind it like a lithe panther. Her words only inflamed us, dared us to push her into submission.
"Fake dating." Ray wagged his finger at her. "And you're right. I shouldn't be here. But when have I ever done the right thing?"
Lara shifted, and her skirt rode up to reveal the upper half of her thighs.
She had a freckle above her knee, and I wanted to bite a ring of teeth marks around it.
Lara brought out the beast in me. She noticed the heated direction of my gaze, and she dragged the hem to show more tantalizing skin. It was a taunt, not an invitation.
"And tomorrow? Will you cast me off again? We're too complicated, Ray, I mean…" she waved her hand in my direction. "I have this whole situation and more."
"You want me too?" My twisted guts mollified with the quick drop of her head.
"My papa is not one to play with, and he warned me to stay away from you.
But tonight, seeing you with that asshole, drove me too crazy to stand by and do nothing.
Everything in my life is conspiring to keep us apart, but I won't let them understand?
I want you, and I mean to have you. If you need our big guy, or even the chief, let's talk about it. But no-one else. Are we clear?"
Lara made a frustrated noise under her breath as I turned lightheaded. My fingers tingled in their iron grip of the table. Oh yes. She was ours. But Lara needed convincing. We paused in a tense moment, strung together by threads of fate, knotted together whether we wanted it or not.
She jumped off the couch and moved toward the door, intent on leaving this conversation.
"We'll fight for you," I said, and her back stiffened.
Her dark hair whipped over her shoulder. "What did you say?" Her voice was a soft whisper.
I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow. The bass from below rumbled through my body, making me a live wire. I hadn't fought for anything but my freedom as a young man, but now, I was going to turn that same bullheadedness on Lara.
Bolstered by her reaction, I continued. "You run out that door, we'll follow.
Every time you date someone else, we'll be there.
You won't even see me, but I'll be your shadow.
I should have been louder about wanting you.
You're under my skin, Lara, and I won't stop until I make you mine.
Seeing you with a stranger just confirmed it, so how can we fix this? "
Ray let out a bark of laughter as she jabbed a finger at me, her dark nail like a poison arrow aimed at my heart. Her chest rose and fell, frustration flittering across her face. She regarded the door for a moment before she turned back. Her chin lifted in defiant increments.
"It wasn't a date, what you saw out there. It was business, a favor for someone important."
Ray relaxed slightly, leaning his hands on the couch. Her ire softened in the silence, but it wasn't enough. I needed her to understand what she meant to us.
Us. It just sounded right.
"You let a favor put their hands all over you?" I asked.
"You didn't wear that sexy outfit, hoping he would take it off you later?" Ray accused.
Lara threw her arms out and muttered under her breath. "I'm single, assholes. And I don't dress for any man's satisfaction. If I want to parade around naked, that'll be my choice, not because some man tried to dictate, understand?"
A wave of dizziness washed over me, and my cock jerked in my pants.
The idea of Lara naked was too much to ignore with the adrenaline coursing through my veins.
The leather of the couch groaned as Ray fisted the material in his hands.
He tipped his head back, and the thick muscles in his neck bunched.
"I don't care what you wear, as long as you let Jonah or me be the only ones to take it off."
Lara shifted, and I added, for her sake, but not because I agreed. "Or the chief. If that's what you want."
Wariness warred with the heat in her gaze. Ray walked behind her, kneading her shoulders. He brushed a feather-light kiss on her exposed neck. She scowled but tilted her head to give him further access.
"I shouldn't let you touch me at all. But I have a shoulder ache."
Ray muffled a laugh against her neck and rubbed her in earnest.
"Forgive me for what I said? I'll give you a shoulder massage every day to make up for it. I've never cared about who another woman fucks before, but tonight I wanted to rip that man's head off."
"He speaks to you that way again. I will." I promised, and Lara's lips parted on a soft sigh.
"He's no one. But even if I forgive you, it changes nothing. Our situation is complicated." Her argument faltered as Ray dug his thumbs into her skin.
Heat swept down my spine, and I met Ray's gaze over her shoulder. Emotions were complicated, but bodies weren't.
"You made us jealous tonight, volpe mia. My gigantic ego is bruised." His hands traveled down her body. Her breath hitched, and the soft sound traveled right to my groin.
"Oh no, not your egos. How will you survive?" Lara's lips twisted.
I wanted them wrapped around my thickening cock.
"I have some ideas," Ray smirked.
"God, you're so predictable. You both annoyed me tonight. Why should I care about making you feel good?"
"Because we'll make you feel good too," I said.
Maybe it was the sensual thump of bass, maybe it was the alcohol coating her tongue. But Lara's eyes became hooded. Ray squeezed her shoulders.
"There's been enough angst between us, don't you think? Time for some fun instead. Why don't we play? I can think of some fun roles if you don't want to be yourself."
Lara turned her head, and they shared a long, hungry look. I didn't know what they were talking about, but I could guess. My heart rate thumped with anticipation.
"I'm listening."
"You know your boyfriend owes me some money, and he said you sucked dick like a pro. What are you willing to do to make sure he walks out of this room?" Ray winked at me, and a jolt of energy scrambled my insides.
Lara let out an excited puff.
"Get on your knees," Ray whispered over her shoulder, and goosebumps sprang on the back of my neck, as though he said them to me.
He walked away from the couch, and the sound of his zipper echoed in the silent room as Lara lowered herself to the floor. I moved closer, collapsing into one of the leather armchairs. She took in my starved expression and licked her lips.
Ray's pants slid down his legs, and he pulled out his rigid cock. "Let me see that pretty pink tongue, volpe mia. Don't forget, your boyfriend's life is on the line."
I'd seen dicks before. Furtive flashes of soft lengths. Stuffed into pants after using the bathroom, or in the locker room. I'd woken to my stepdad, fisting his cock over me once at night, a short, hard nub in a nest of curly hair.
It sickened me.
But Ray had a goddamn good-looking penis.
I didn't think it was possible. He was tanned all over, like he lay out in the sun naked.
His balls were smooth and shaved. Ray fisted his cock, and there was still room for another hand.
A pink flush covered the end, which glistened with smeared arousal. And a flash of silver.
"You're pierced?" Lara groaned.
"Frenum, for your pleasure." Ray winked down at her.
He rubbed his cock against the seam of Lara's lips. She didn't hesitate, shuffling closer to grasp him. My cock twitched at the sight.
"Please," she widened her eyes. "Don't hurt my boyfriend. I-I'll do whatever you want." Her plaintive beg sounded real to me, and I was enthralled how quickly she metamorphosed into someone else.